2020: Little things, Big things
Have you ever wondered why even though some weeks seem interminably long, years in hindsight whisk away so quickly?
We’re in 2020 now, and even for a generation unfazed by the 2000s, there’s something momentous and at times foreboding about what the start of a new decade will mean for us; as a whole, and individually.
I know there’s not much we can do control things generally speaking. We can’t save every koala in danger in the Australian forests, we can’t save every polar bear that can’t swim to ground. But what can we do consciously and daily, to change negative patterns that play into a larger picture?
This year I have consciously decided to SLOW down. How? Not in the way of physically living a more sedentary lifestyle, or giving up on my goals.
Slowing down by giving up the fruitless and futile chase that was my early 20s.
If it wasn’t trends I was chasing, it was acceptance from others. If I wasn’t after a new body or a new look, I was after a new continent to cross off the list. Enough is enough. All those years of pining for what’s up ahead flew past me in a hurry, and I freely admit that now, slowly grazing into 30; I am nowhere near where I wanted to be and with not much to prove for what I have done.
That all changes with the little things.
I commit myself to taking each day and valuing the good in each of it. In not longing for the weekend, in trying to enjoy the rest of coming home each day to a warm and loving home, and the feeling of knowing I will have honest respectable work waiting for me, by tomorrow. In skipping the donut for breakfast, the take out lunch, the snacking; and instead thoughtfully investing time every week to plan for my health, for my wellbeing. To pack my meals and eat consciously. To combat stress and anxiety, not with sweet treats, but with exercise and mindfulness.
Because when we STOP and slow down every once in a while, we finally have a chance to evaluate ourselves and more importantly: to determine what really matters to us. We learn how small steps, like reducing plastic waste and using natural resources mindfully can pay off in big ways, like caring for the earth we all inhabit.
Time is an equal investment we are all given- and sadly, many squander away. If we don’t force ourselves to shut out the media, the Instagram influencers, the entertainment business, the commercial world and even popular opinion, we’ll find ourselves castaways in the ocean of murky philosophies and conflicting guidance, with no solid ground in sight and no better equipped to handle the next decade than we were at the start of 2010.
Because at the end of the next decade, I don’t want to look back and feel a smidge of sorrow for time not well spent.
We’re in 2020 now, and even for a generation unfazed by the 2000s, there’s something momentous and at times foreboding about what the start of a new decade will mean for us; as a whole, and individually.
I know there’s not much we can do control things generally speaking. We can’t save every koala in danger in the Australian forests, we can’t save every polar bear that can’t swim to ground. But what can we do consciously and daily, to change negative patterns that play into a larger picture?
This year I have consciously decided to SLOW down. How? Not in the way of physically living a more sedentary lifestyle, or giving up on my goals.
Slowing down by giving up the fruitless and futile chase that was my early 20s.
If it wasn’t trends I was chasing, it was acceptance from others. If I wasn’t after a new body or a new look, I was after a new continent to cross off the list. Enough is enough. All those years of pining for what’s up ahead flew past me in a hurry, and I freely admit that now, slowly grazing into 30; I am nowhere near where I wanted to be and with not much to prove for what I have done.
That all changes with the little things.
I commit myself to taking each day and valuing the good in each of it. In not longing for the weekend, in trying to enjoy the rest of coming home each day to a warm and loving home, and the feeling of knowing I will have honest respectable work waiting for me, by tomorrow. In skipping the donut for breakfast, the take out lunch, the snacking; and instead thoughtfully investing time every week to plan for my health, for my wellbeing. To pack my meals and eat consciously. To combat stress and anxiety, not with sweet treats, but with exercise and mindfulness.
Because when we STOP and slow down every once in a while, we finally have a chance to evaluate ourselves and more importantly: to determine what really matters to us. We learn how small steps, like reducing plastic waste and using natural resources mindfully can pay off in big ways, like caring for the earth we all inhabit.
Time is an equal investment we are all given- and sadly, many squander away. If we don’t force ourselves to shut out the media, the Instagram influencers, the entertainment business, the commercial world and even popular opinion, we’ll find ourselves castaways in the ocean of murky philosophies and conflicting guidance, with no solid ground in sight and no better equipped to handle the next decade than we were at the start of 2010.
Because at the end of the next decade, I don’t want to look back and feel a smidge of sorrow for time not well spent.
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